When Do Bunions Require Surgery?

People joke about bunions, but if you have them, you probably don’t find them too funny. At first, it may just be that your big toe seems a bit slanted, and maybe it doesn’t hurt much. Over time, though, it causes pain, becomes increasingly deformed, and you start to wonder what you can do about it. 

At Prime Foot and Ankle Care in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, Dr. Nrupa Shah and her staff don’t think bunions are a laughing matter. Along with Monmouth Junction, we serve patients in: South Brunswick, North Brunswick, Kendall Park, Franklin Park, Princeton, and Plainsboro.

We offer compassionate care, tailored to your specific situation and needs. We begin treatment with the most conservative care options, but sometimes, surgery is the best way to treat bunions. 

In this post, we look at four points to consider as you think about the best way to treat your bunions. 

1. Bunions aren’t temporary

If you have a bunion, it’s not going to just go away on its own. The medical term for a bunion is hallux valgus, and it happens when you have a problem in your metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint—the joint at the base of your big toe. 

The bone in your toe begins to move toward the inside, and the joint builds new bone to protect itself. That new bone is the cause of the bump you can see. 

Hallux valgus is a progressive problem, meaning it worsens over time. With conservative treatments, you can stop the progression, but you can’t make the new bone tissue that has formed go away unless you have surgery. Surgery to treat bunions involves shaving away the bony protrusion and realigning your MTP joint. 

2. Bunions hurt

As the new bone forms and your bunion gets bigger, your joint encounters increasing friction. That friction causes inflammation. As the inflammation gets worse, you probably find shoes more and more uncomfortable, until eventually it may be nearly impossible to wear them. 

Wearing flip-flops forever is probably not a great option. Surgery may be the best treatment if you’ve reached a point where you struggle to wear shoes at all. 

3. Bunions cause other problems

When you have bunions, you’re far more likely to develop other problems, such as: 

• Hammertoes
• Calluses and corns
• Bursitis
• Ingrown toenails

Each of those issues brings along another set of symptoms, meaning your pain and discomfort get worse. Along with all of that, having a bunion disrupts the natural balance of your foot, and that can lead to yet more issues and pain. 

Although we encourage conservative, noninvasive treatments whenever possible, if your bunions are causing all sorts of additional issues, surgery could be the right choice for you. 

4. The cosmetic concerns are real

We’ve said it already, but it bears repeating: bunions aren’t pretty. If you’re very bothered by how your feet look, it can be a real problem. You don’t have to just live with bunions even if they don’t cause pain or other issues. 

The goal of surgery to treat bunions is to restore your foot to the way it looked (and felt) before you developed a bunion. If your biggest concern regarding your bunions is cosmetic, we can help. 

Get expert advice

When it comes down to it, the very best way to know if surgery is the right treatment for you is to talk to an expert. 

Dr. Shah provides advice to each patient based on their individual circumstances. If you have a job that requires you to stand for many hours a day and wear a particular type of shoe, your situation is much different from someone who has a small bunion but prefers to wear slippers or flip-flops most of the time. 

We encourage you to schedule a consultation, ask questions, and get an expert opinion from Dr. Shah before you decide on surgery to correct your bunions.